Critical Contributions of Satellites Noted at Maritime-Space Cooperation Symposium

On October 4, 2019, Secure World Foundation supported a one-day symposium being co-organized by the Ocean Policy Research Institute, Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF), and Space Policy Research Center, Japan Space Forum (JSF) to discuss international maritime cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Speakers discussed the importance of maritime-faring countries to securing their maritime activities and promoting safety in collaboration with other countries. Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is a global risk for such maritime-faring countries and must be addressed by international cooperation. Satellite-based ship monitoring can cover a wide area at a glance so using space technologies for global ship monitoring is increasingly of interest.  

This 200-person symposium took place in Tokyo, Japan and SWF was represented by Washington Office Director Victoria Samson. Ms. Samson spoke on why space situational awareness matters to people using space to combat illegal fishing. In addition to Ms. Samson's participation, SWF sponsored the travel of three speakers from India, Oceania, and the United States mission to ASEAN. More information is available on the event page here.